The scandal involving
Alexis Wright gripped her small-town community in
Maine.ABC
News/YouTube

A 30-year-old Zumba instructor who ran a brothel out of her
Kennebunk, Maine fitness studio has received a
10-month jail sentence, the
Associated Press reports.

That sentence was recommended by prosecutors as part of
a plea agreement that Alexis Wright took in March.

Wright told
the judge during sentencing she was relieved when police raided
the brothel last year.Wright says she was
sexually abused as a child and witnessed domestic violence,
according to the AP.

"In my eyes I'm free. I free from this. ... Now that I have the
strength I want to encourage others to come forward," she said to
the judge. "When I'm out, I'm going
to pursue helping people fight through situations that are
similar to mine. I'm optimistic that something good will come out
of this."

She pleaded guilty to 20 counts including prostitution,
conspiracy, tax evasion, and theft by deception, according to the
Associated Press.

Wright ran the prostitution business with her ex-lover Mark
Strong, a 57-year-old who owned an insurance business. She
videotaped clients without their knowledge and kept detailed
records of the illegal brothel, prosecutors said. Wright made
$150,000 from the prostitution business while collecting more
than $40,000 in public assistance, the AP reports.

Prosecutors are seeking restitution of $57,280 from Wright,
noting that she saved the state a lot of money by pleading
guilty.

Strong was sentenced to 20 days in jail and ordered to pay a
$3,000 fine.

More than 100
men allegedly paid Wright for sex, including
former South Portland Mayor James Soule. Other alleged clients
include a high school hockey coach, a minister, and a lawyer. The
trysts took place in Wright's fitness studio, an apartment, and
her office.